Giqtje electriqtre



E. VEDOVE LLI. EXTRA QUICK ACTING CIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION HLKD 0EC.2Z. i920 1,428,821 PatentedSept. 12, 1922.

3 SHEETSSHEEI I.

nrmqun E. VEDOVELLI.

EXTRA QUICK ACTING CIRCUH' BREAKER.

APPLICATION FILED 0c.22. I920.

1 ,428 82 1 PabentedSept. 12, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

t. VtUUvLLu. EXTRA QUICK Acme CIRCUIT BREAKER.

APPLICATION FltED DEC.22. I920. 7 1,428,821. w sep 12, 1922.

3 SHEEYSSHEET 3.

INVEN TUH [/mwzr AJat/eZ/l g. fl w i ATTUIWEY Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT 0mm.

EDOUARD VEDOVELLI, 0F PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO LA SOCIETE LA MEIALLUR- GIQUE ELECTRIQUE, OF IRAEIS, FRANCE.

EXTRA-QUICK-ACTING CIRCUIT BREAKER structed as to act automatically and very;

quickly when the current in the circuit acquires anexcessive strength.

In order to make the following explana-- tion as clear as possible, the accompanying drawing shows by way of example ,a construction of the extra quick circuit-breaker according to the invention.

Figure l is a diagrammatic view showingthe apparatus closed. j igure 2 shows the part enabling the apparatus to be re-set ready for working again and producing the opening.

FigureB shows the position of the movable part after it has been moved owing to an excess of current.

Figure 4 shows the position of theanovable part after the springs have been cocked. Figure 5 is a detail'view showi the use of a series of helical springs for. t e movable part.

. Figure 6 shows the same arrangement with spring blades.

.Figure 7 shows an extra/quick movable part with two contacts which are representedas closed. a

Figure 8 is a view generally similar to Fi ure 7 but showing the two contacts open. Figure 9' shows the position of the parts after the final break.

Figure 10 relates to a modified construetion of the device balancing the direct pull of the springs.

As will be seen from Figure 1, the cur rent is admitted at 1, passes into the Winding 2 of a large electromagnet, the armature of which is marked 3, passes to the spindle 4 of a movable lever 5, passes throu h said lever into a conductor part 6 which 1s fixed or almost fixed, as it merely has the flexition, toward the right in this ,instance,.by powerful springs. 9, 10, but is normally held in place by a. pawl 11. 1

Theweight of the. movable part, 7V and the power of the springs,9, 10are calculated so thatwhenthe pawlll is disengaged, the part will move with the desired speed. In order to avoid the shock that would talrc placeat the end ofithe. travel of said ,part the springs are arranged so that theyform at thesame time shock-absorbers, the point of attachment .of the springsto the movable part passing, owing-to thermomentum oi? the part, beyond the position in which the attraction is zero. A-pawl-1 2 engages with the hooked end 8 .ofthe movable part v'2' after it has completedits traveland thus prevents it from assuming,iunder, .the..action-of the,

springs,.a vibratory motion. 1

The pawl .11 engages with' the nose 13 of a; lever-15owhich is pivoted intermediate its ends atl i, as shown.;: This lever is pulled against a stop 18 by.a powerful spring 16, but is caused to turn inone direction under the action'of the pawl 11 carried by the movable member'L The, lever, 15 canybe moved bythe action of the armature 3 of. the electromagnet by means of any suitable gear), ;In the drawing, theend of said lever opposite tothe. nose .13 is connected, by a link- 17 .to the adjacent end of a lever :19 which is pivoted intermediate its ends on a pin20, and has its lower arm connected by a-link 22;to -.said armature. It will 'be .understoodthat for a certain strength of current there willrbea dynamic equilibriumbetweenthe forces acting together; on the one hand, t l ie positive force fthe springs .9, '10, and on the otherhand the negative forces ,which are added together, of ,the spring :16 and of the electromagnet...-

At the contacts 6, 7 te rniinatethe ends of a circuit comprising a resistance 23 and a solenoid 24, the object of which isto bring about the movement of thelever 5.

To that end, the lever 5 is connected by a rod 25 to the centre of a balance beam 26, or any other differential mechanism such that thesaid connecting rod 25 can be moved by the action of two difi'erent mechanical move ments, said beam having the tendency to move the lever inquestion away from the contact 6. One end Ofthe beam 26 has con- 2-2 19 and 21 to the balaneebeam.

' will remainat rest in the 'position'fillus nected to it a retractile spring 32 which tends to move it away froma-pair ofspuced stops 2?, and said end is connected at the opposite side from the spring to a hand lever 31 byarod 29. I In operating, this connecting rod acts on the end of thebalance beam to which it is connected, and if it is assumed that the other end is fixed,;the movementof' the rod will swing the beam counter-clockwise, and said beam, in turn, will-rock lver' 5 counter-clockwise, its upper arm moving away'from the contactb". "The movement of the rod 29 is controlled by a' locking pawl 33 which is designed forengagernent 'witha projection or finger 30 on the hand lever 31. and which, whenso engaged, prevents the operation of said lever and said spring and, consequently, the nove nent of the rod.

The pawl or detent 33 is acted on 'by tli'ostilenoid 24: included the' shunt circuit;

The other end of the 'bal'ancebeain QG linay, as shown, be 'op'erativelyl connected, "by' means of a rod or link 21 for-example, to

the lever 19 which carries thearmature 3, so

that when the armature, is shifted, its" move ments will be transmitted, through the-parts he working of-the app'aratus will substantially be as follows: p i i If the strength of current i s ze ro or below a certain limit, the parts i above described trated in Figure 1; but when such limit is reached, then the attraction exercised on the armature 3 willbe sufficient tostart the movement of the latter. The-ratios o',f the levers and the constructive dimensions are such that for an infinitely small movement of the armature 3, there will be a release of the pawl 11. The inov'able contact member:

7 willthen move with all the speed desiredi At that moment the resistance 23 and the solenoid 94 are suddenly switched into the circuit, a limitation of the current strength then taking place, which depends'on the ohmic value given ,to the resistance 23. The mass of the armature 3 being comparatively through the solenoid 24 inserted into'the cir cuit of the resistance, in order to b ring about the release of the spring 32, and the other: end of the balance beam willadd its speed in order to produce the opening of the lever '5,

the intermediate contact 6 remaining fixed.

Owing to this arrangement, it will be possible by a judicious regulation of the posi'-' tion of the core of the solenoid'24 and of its the ar-' ycoursethe connecting rod 29 and the balance beam would be done away with, the spring' ""32being lft alon'to act on the opening lever 5. I

As soonas the openingzhas been'effected by the acti'on'of the 'shdrt-bircuit established, the cloiiig fiillf be efle'ct-ejd"by acting "by hand on the lever-31 and by moving by any desired nieans; -the""-niovable ,p'art The sp1ingsj9,f10,bonltl becoekeil'citherl iy in ad, by means of'al'lever gear, or by a eerewio'r by any suitable electromagnetfaiidffbr the mai ip ilgltioq-iiii "easement ate-on. of u handle '31 xiiFh'tbe'utiIizedY. "It iniis't" be p'bjiiceu'fieuriuiar 5am mm quick part su ies-imi ates described, lia'sfbeen' prev? etl fdr inser'ting the resist antic, butit' eould' equally well used for rodutin'githe'o enifig. In th ef 'sam'e way, two iden real "pa'r't s Couldbe used, working together or in. casadfone for introducing the 'i'esist'aii'ce, iintltli'e other for producing the opening Tliisworking'ofthe' former \vouliPrS'iilU'irf tlie ivor'kin 'o'f the"'se cond. aay-teem'seefl;halter springsli'ave been dia rammatitti-H' indicated'for driving the move le'p'z'irt 'fli' ethe arrow of abow, and-a; pawl hasbfi' provided for stopping the said, art as soon as -it's"t-rave l has'been' u.-:, will =3 'K-pfatticalmeans ftir' i esetting the m'o'v' able 'arfiaadyfoE subseque t working, will now e'"cbn'sidefi'ed;"" I

To that end, the proceedingis 2 1S"fo'llows: 'Th'e phiii'ts of -reaction" o'f'the' 'spring's 9, 10 are arran ed on a 1novable'frame"1, 2', 3 which can slid'eiii flie ame direction as the movable part'u'nder'tlie action of a lever, cam or any other device whose action can be multipliecl'by means'o t a'handle.-" Figureflfsliow's the xr'iova'ble part ready to 'in'ove' *in the direction" of the arrow 5 to produce the cir'cuit-openirifiiietibn, butjbeing held'back bythepawl '11. 1f owing to hneXtess of 'currentfith'e apparatusbeeomes operative, the pa'viflll will he i eleased, the movable part will-assuine the p'osit ionf shownin I Figure 3 ,and the pawlV'wi'll' 'preveht'sajd; part acorn jretfu rning in th'e direction of the 'ariow 8", but the"anq l"fi between the springs is greater than theangle ao'f the first ease, andtlierefore if the pawl?" i's released-at that"i'nomerit the 'inovable part will not return to the t-Sinesm FiguT'a' Atithis momentl'jthe f'rnovable frame ,is

moved means of the liandle 1,4 Figure 4)"in suc'h' a'nii'ih'ne'r 'asto coc k the springs" and cause them to form an angle a sufiicient and less than the angle a. The result of this movement of the frame will be that when the'tension is sufficient, the pawl 7' will be disengaged by means of a finger 9. The movable part will start moving in the opposite direction, and will pass slightly beyond the normal position and engage with the pawl-1'1. By returning the bandle 4 to the position shown in Figure2, the springs will be given again the desired tension for a new release.

The constructionof a spring part capaable of exerting the desired forces without introducing at the same time a great momentum, requires certain precautions. To

that end, the-spring means may comprise as many springs of the smallest possible dimensions as will be required, as shown in Figure 5, and in place of the helical springs,

could beused spring'blades as indicated in Figure 6. The ends-of the blades would pass in this case over rollers so as to reduce the friction.

' In the arrange ent illustratedin Figure 1 has'been shown the path of the current such'that the ultra quick part must be connected to the main circuit and to the resistance, for instance by means of flexible connections. These connections might introduce inertia'and resistances difiicult to calculate; to obviate the said drawback and at the same time to double the speedof opening, the following arrangement has been made v The opening parts such as described, have been duplicated, 15' and 10"-representing ultra quick parts which work together under the action of parts such as have been described It is in reality one part carrying two contacts 11' and 12. In Figure 7 which is a plan, the current enters throu h 13 and escapes at 14:.

In igure 8, the extra quick acting part has been moved away, and the current passes through the resistances, 16' and 17' being fixed contacts. In Figure 9, the final opening has taken place between the parts 16 and 18' on the one hand, and 17 and 19' on the other hand, 18' and 19' being movable levers.

In the construction Figure 1, for the purpose of balancing the direct pull of the springs acting on the extra quick part, is shown a pawl device 11 acting on a lever 13. This device has for its sole object to transmit the static equilibrium effort to the spindle of the said lever. It goes without saying that this device could be replaced by any similar one giving the same results, for instance the following one which has the same characteristics:

Let it he assumed'that 28' 20' is the extra quick acting movable part, Figure 10, hav ing the tendency to move in the direction of the arrow 21. At the end of the part is provided a rack or cam face 22 pressing against a roller 23' supported. on the end of a lever 24 rotatable about a spindle 24. The position of the cam face gives the roller a reaction in the direction of the arrow 25'; by suitably adjusting the inclination the reaction on the axis 24 in the direction of the arrow could be as small as desired and also as great as desired. This spindle 24: plays the part of the spindle 14 of Fiille 1.

spring 26 prevents the lever 24 from moving, and holds it in engagement with a stop 27', this spring playing the same part as the spring 16 of Figure 1, so that a very slight effort, whether positive or negative, is required for holding or moving the lever 24. I claim as my invention:

1. In a quick-acting, circuit-breaking mechanism, the combination of a fixed contact; a movable contact element cooperative therewith; springs tending to move said contact element awa from the fixed contact; a detent for holding said contact element against such movement; an electromagnet for releasing said detent; a second movable contact element cooperative with the fixed contact; a circuit wherein both contact elements and the magnet are included; and means controlled by said magnet for'rnoving the second contact element away from the fixed contact.

2 In a quick-acting, circuit breaking mechanism, the combination of a fixed contact; a pair of movable contact elements disposed at opposite sides of and normally engaged with the fixed contact; a circuit wherein both contact elements are included; a magnet in said circuit; spring means tending to move one of the contact-elements away from the fixed fconta-ct; means for holding said contact element against such movement; means controlled by the magnet for releasing said holding means to permit the movement of said contact element; and means acting to automatically move the other contact element away from the fixed contact after the movement of the first contact element has commenced.

3. In a quick acting, circuit breaking mechanism, the combination of a fixed contact; a pair of movable contact elements disposed at opposite sides of and normally engaged with the fixed contact; a circuit wherein both contact elements are included; a magnet in said circuit; spring means tending to move one of the contact elements away from the fixed contact; means for holding said contact element against such movement; means controlled by the magnet for releasing said holding means to permit the movement of said Contact element; means for moving the other contact element away from the 'fi-xed contact; means for locking the last-named means against operation and means for releasing said locking means.

4. In 'a quick-acting, circuit-breaking mechanism, the combination of a fixed contact; a pair of movable contact elements disposed at opposite sides of and normally engaged with the fixed contact; a circuit wherein bot-h contact elements are included; a-magnet in said circuit; spring means tending to move one ofthe contact elements away from the fixed contact; means for :holding said contact clement against such movement; means controlled by the magnet for releasing said holding means to permit the movement of said contact element; means.

for movin the other contact element away from the fixed contact; a catch for locking the last-named means against operation; and electromagnetic meansfor releasing said catch. p t v 5. In a quick-acting, ncircuit breaking mechanism, the combination ofga fixed contact; a .pair of movable contact elements disposedat opposite sidesi of and normally engaged with 'the fixed contact; a circuit wherein both contact elements are included; a magnet in said circuit; spring means tendingto move one of the contact elements away from the fixed contact; means for holding said contact element against such movement; means controlled bythe magnet for releasing said holding means to permit the,

movement of said contact element; means for movin the other contactelement away from the Fixed contact; a catch for holding the last-named means against operation; a solenoid for releasing said catch; and means for establishing a shortcircuit through the solenoid after the movement of the first contact element has commenced.

6. In a quick-acting, .circuitbreaking mechanism, the combination of a fixed contact; a pair of movable contact elements disposed at opposite sides of and normally .engaged with the fixed contact; a circuit wherein both contact elements are. included; a magnet in said circuit; spring means tending to move one of the contact elements-away from the fixed contact; means for-holding said contact element against such move ment; means control-ledtby the magnet for releasing said holding means !to permit the movement'of said contact element; a balance beam connected to the other contact element for movingthe samenw-ay trom'the,

fixed-element; and means for-automatically operating said beam after the movement 0f the first contact element has commenced.

7. Inv a quick-acting, circuit breaking mechanism, the combination of a fixed contact; a pair of movable contact elements-disposed at opposite sides of and normally engaged with the fixed -contact; a circuit wherein bjoth contact? elements are included; a magnet insaidcircuitgspring means tend ing'to move "one of the contact elements away from the fixed contact; means for-holding said contact element a ainst such movement; means controlled by lie, magnet efior releasing said holding means to permit the movement of. said contact element; a balance beam connected to the othercontact element for moving the same away "from the fixed element; a'catch normally locking the ,beam against operation means .for. operating said beam when unlocked; and means for automatically-releasing the 'catdhafter the movement of the first contact element has commenced.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnemes. r v

EDOUARD VEDOVEIJIJI.

Witnesses:

CHARLES Lnn LoIsEL, Gnomes PASCAL .Camminn. 

